Bass Enthusiast - Fishing Dictionary

Fishing Dictionary

Fishing Dictionary

-A-

Acclimate: The adaptation of an organism to environmental changes.

Action: "Natural action" refers to the action a lure has straight out of the box or package. It also can refer to movement that closely mimics the natural movement of a bass prey item. "Action" can refer to a lure's movement on its own or the movement an angler imparts to it via manipulation of the rod and reel.

Active Fish: Bass that are feeding heavily and striking aggressively.

Adaptation: Biological adjustment that increases fitness.

Affluent: A stream or river that flows into a larger one. Also known as a Tributary.

Algae: Simple plant organisms which are prevalent in both ponds and lakes.

Alley: An opening between patches of emerging weeds. It is also the parallel space which separates emerging weeds and the shoreline.

Anadromous: Fish that hatch in fresh water, migrate to the ocean to grow and mature, and migrate back to fresh water to spawn and reproduce.

Angler: A person who uses a rod and reel to catch any species of fish.

Anti-reverse: A mechanism that prevents the spools of multipliers and fixed-spool reel from turning backwards

Artificial: A fishing slang term for an artificial lure, or bait.

Artificial Lure: A manmade lure manufactured to imitate natural bait. Artificial lures include spoons, spinners and plugs made of metal, plastic, wood and other non-edible materials. They also include plastic products made to resemble worms, eggs, fish and other aquatic organisms

-B-

BASS: The first and largest (in terms of membership) national tournament organization, started by Ray Scott. ESPN is the current owner of BASS.

Back-boat: When a pro in the front of the boat fishes all the good spots and maneuvers the boat so that his co-angler gets to fish little or no productive water, this is called "back-boating."

Backlash: Tangle of line on a baitcasting reel due to spool overrun.

Backwater: Shallow area off a river.

Bag: A "bag" refers to how much weight of fish an angler has in his weigh-in bag, which is used to carry bass from the boat to the weigh-in scales. Example: "I had a 25-pound bag today." A bag may or may not be a full limit. An antiquated synonym is "stringer."

Bail: Metal, semicircular arm on an open-face spinning reel that engages the line after a cast.

Bail arm: On a spinning reel, the lever determines the direction of the spool.

Bait: In bass fishing, a "bait" is an artificial fishing lure, or one of numerous smaller fish (e.g., shad, shiners, minnows) bass prey on. It is never used in the traditional sense of live or dead bait (e.g., worms, crayfish, leeches, minnows) because live or dead baits are not allowed in bass tournaments.

Baitcasting: Fishing with a revolving-spool reel attached on top of a bait casting rod. Most often used by novice or experienced anglers.

Baitfish: Small fish often eaten by predators.

Balanced: A term used to describe the proper combination of rod, reel line, and leader.

Bank: Where land and water meet, but in bass fishing a bank also can extend under the water line. For example, when fishing a clay bank, anglers aren't just fishing the water line, but also the clay that extends under the water away from the water line.

Bar: Long ridge in a body of water.

Barb: The nick on the point of a hook. It is intended to keep the hook from backing out of a fish's mouth after it has been hooked.

Basic Needs: The three survival requirements of bass: reproduction, security, and food.

Basiobranchial: The small bones behind the tongue on which the gill arches articulate.

Bay: Major indentation in the shoreline of a lake or reservoir.

Bite: When a fish takes or touches a bait so that the fisherman feels it. Also is known among anglers as a hit, bump, or a strike.

Black Bass: Common term used to describe several types of bass, including the largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass.

Blade: A Slang name for a spinnerbait as well as a part of a spinnerbait.

Blank: A rod without a handle, guides or reel seat.

Blank rod: The fiberglass or graphite shaft or rod without any guides or hardware attached.

Blast-off: When all the boats start the day by pushing their outboards to full throttle to "blast off"; and where all the boats take off.

Blind-cast: A term for casting to areas as opposed to visible targets.

Blowdowns: Shoreline trees that have fallen, or been "blown down," into a lake. These areas are good bass habitat.

Bluff: Vertical, often sheer, rock along the shore.

Boil: Used to describe the sound a bass makes at the surface. Usually used when a bass is going after a topwater lure, but can be used anytime a fish is at the top.

Brackish: Water of intermediate salinity between seawater and freshwater.

Break: Distinct variation in otherwise constant stretches of cover, structure, or bottom type. Basically anything that "breaks up" the underwater terrain.

Breakline: A line of abrupt change in depth, bottom type, or water clarity in the feature of otherwise uniform structure. A place where there is a sudden or drastic change in the depth of the water, or weed type. This may be the edge of a creek, a submerged cliff, or even a stand of submerged weeds.

Brushline: The inside or the outside edge of a stretch of brush.

Brushpile: Usually refers to a mass of small- to medium-sized tree limbs lying in the water. Brush piles may be only one or two feet across, or they may be extremely large and they may be visible or submerged. They can be created by Mother Nature or manmade. They usually hold fish. And fishermen.

Bumping: The act of making a lure hit an object such as a log, tree, or pier piling in a controlled manner. This is often done unintentionally, but can get the same reaction from the fish. Also, a lure making contact with the bottom.

Burn, Burning: Reeling a bait, usually a spinnerbait, as fast as you can crank the reel handle so the bait "burns" through the water.

Buzzbaits: These are like a spinner bait, but have a flat blade that causes it to rise

Buzzing: Retrieving a lure, such as a spinnerbait or buzzbait, at a rate fast enough to cause it to remain partially out of the water, causing a noisy disturbance.

-C-

Camp on: To "camp on" a spot is to sit there all day, whether fishing it or just protecting it from being fished by other competitors.

Carolina Rig: A style of terminal tackle normally used to keep a lure a foot or two (or more) off the bottom. This is most commonly used with a plastic worm, but is also used with floating crankbaits and other lures as well. A barrel slip sinker of 1/2- to 1-ounce is first slipped on the line and then a swivel is tied to the end of the line. A piece of line 18 to 30 inches long is then tied to the other end of the swivel and a hook or lure is tied to the end of this piece line. Rigged Texas style (weedless with the hook buried in the body of the bait), the combination is excellent for fishing ledges, points, sandbars, and humps.

Cast: The act of imparting energy to a fishing rod in such a way that the line and leader project bait or lure to a target some distance away.

Catch and Release: The practice of releasing all fish caught with a fly rod unharmed. It is based on a value that the fishing experience is more important than keeping fish.

Circle Hook: Hooks designed to reduce mortality in fish by lessening the chance of gut hooking a fish.

Crank baits: These are usually sinking lures, that are made from plastic, that contain rattles inside which create a disturbance underwater. Such lures as the Rat-L-Trap, and Rapala Rattlin Rap, fall into this category.

Channel: The bed of a stream or river.

Chugger: Topwater plug with a dished-out (concave or "cupped") head designed to make a splash when pulled sharply.

Chunk rock: Any of several different types of "chunky rock," meaning rock of a size between pea gravel and boulders.

Clarity: Refers to the depth you are able to see an object (such as your lure) under the water.

Co-angler: A co-angler is the angler who fishes from the back of the boat. Also known as a non-boater, back-seater or, increasingly rarely, an amateur as in "pro-am" tournaments. Co-anglers compete against each other, not the pros (aka, boaters or "front-seaters"), and are often there to learn. An important function of a co-angler is to be a "referee" of sorts in that he is obligated under tournament rules to report any illegal, unethical or unsporting behavior on the part of his pro partner. The term "co-angler" was coined by FLW Outdoors.

Cold Front: A weather condition accompanied by high, clear skies, and a sudden drop in temperature.

Contact Point: The deepest position on structure where a bass angler can first effectively present his lure to bass as they migrate from deep water.

Controlled Drift: The act of using an electric motor, drift sock, or oars to allow a drift to be accomplished at a certain speed and/or direction. This term is often called "drift fishing" by most anglers.

Coontail: Submerged aquatic plant of the hornwort family typically found in hard water; charactreized by stiff, forked leaves.

Cosmic Clock: The sun's seasonal effect on water and weather conditions relating to barometric pressure, wind, and cloud cover.

Count It Down: Timing a sinking lure to determine when it will reach a specified depth. This is accomplished by finding the rate of sinking of a lure in feet-per-second. Often used when fishing for suspended fish.

Cove: An indentation along a shoreline.

Cover: Along with "structure," "cover" is one of the two major terms use to define bass habitat. "Cover" refers to areas bass use to hide or lie in wait for prey items. Often bass are under cover, as in lily pads and matted vegetation, but cover can also be shoreline reeds, logs, blowdowns and other items.

Crankbait: Any lure with a plastic or metal lip that is "cranked" by turning the reel handle. Because of the lip's water resistance, crankbaits dive on the initial part of the cast: the lip functions as a diving plane. Crankbaits are made out of plastic or wood, typically balsa or cedar, usually are "short and fat" in appearance, and have two sets of treble hooks. Older term for a crankbait: a plug.

-D-

Dabbling: Working a lure up and down in the same spot a dozen or more times in a bush or beside a tree.

Dead water: Slang term for water that harbors no bass in a particular tournament. On any lake or river, "dead water" during one time of the year might be the opposite in another time of year.

Depthfinder: A sonar device, either a flasher unit or LCR recorder, used to read the bottom structure, determine depth, and in some cases actually spot the fish; also called a fishfinder.

Dink: A small bass, one that measures well below the minimum length limit for that tournament or lake.

Disgorger: Device for removing hooks deeply embedded in the throat of fish.

Diurnal: Having a period or cycle of approximately one tidal day.

Downrigger: A mechanical device that uses larger weights to get fishing lures or bait down to a specific depth and keep it there.

Drag: The mechanical system in a reel that applies friction to the spool.

Drift current: A broad, shallow, slow-moving ocean or lake current.

Drop-Off: A sudden increase in depth, created by gulley washes, small creek channels, land points, and the general lay of the land.

Drop Shot: A hook tied directly to the line from four-inches to four-feet above the sinker. The hook is attached from the back side or opposite the point, with a simple Palomar knot with a tag end about four or five feet long. The weight hangs and the hook is at a 90-degree angle to the line with the hook point up. The hook can be 18 to 24 inches above a bell sinker tied on with a slip-knot.

Dropper Line: A line in addition to the main fishing line, which contains a hook. Dropper lines are usually attached to the main line

-E-

Ecology: The branch of biology dealing with the relationship between organisms and their environment.

Edge: The borders created by a change in the structure or vegetation in a lake. Some examples of edges are tree lines, weed lines, and the edge of a drop-off.

Eliminate: To rule out an unproductive pattern or unproductive area of a lake, usually the hard way (by trial and error), but sometimes by map study.

Estuary: A water passage where the tide meets a river current; especially : an arm of the sea at the lower end of a river.

Euthrophic: Highly fertile waters characterized by warm, shallow basins.

Expand: Term used when anglers find more than they initially found, typically in practice. Applies to a pattern or or an area/spot. Example 1: "I expanded my pattern today by fishing a spinnerbait (changing lures)." Example 2: "I expanded my area today (he found other productive areas near his primary area)."

Eye: The loop at the end of a hook shank.

-F-

Fan Cast: Making a series of casts only a few degrees apart to cover a half circle.

Farm Pond: Small manmade body of water.

Feeder Creek: Tributary to a stream.

Feeding Times: Certain times of the day when fish are most active. These are associated with the position of the sun and moon and are referred to as solunar tables (also called moon charts) and are predictable for any time and place. See Moon Times.

Filamentous Algae: Type of algae characterized by long chains of attached cells that give it a stringy feel and appearance.

Feeding Cycle: Certain regular intervals during which bass satisfy their appetites. Examples: Major or Minor Solunar periods; sunrise, sunset.

Finesse fishing: Fishing with small soft-plastic baits, also known as "finesse" baits, though that term can encompass virtually any small lure. Finesse tactics are commonly used in lakes with clear water, where bass can get a good look at a lure, and/or in lakes with high fishing pressure, which can make bass shy of the bigger lures that more anglers use. Finesse baits are often used to get a bass to eat, rather than just react. An angler who prefers to "finesse-fish" is called a finesse fisherman.

Fish: Slang term meaning a bass. When an angler says, "I only caught five fish today," that means he caught five bass. Also, "green fish" is slang for largemouth bass and "brown fish" is slang for smallmouth bass.

Fish big: A lake "fishes big" if fish can be found in wide-ranging areas throughout a particular water body, and thus anglers and their boats for the most part won't be (or don't have to be) close to one another when fishing.

Fish small: A lake "fishes small" when most of the fish, or the fish the anglers are finding, are concentrated in a few areas that are small relative to the total size of the water body. As a result of this, anglers are very close to one another when fishing.

Flat: An area in a body of water with little if any change in depth. Small and large, flats are generally surrounded on at least one side by deeper water, the bottom comes up to form a flat area where fish will often move up for feeding.

Flight: Launches (aka, blast-offs) and check-ins are split into segments called "flights" to facilitate orderly starts and check-ins. Example: "I was boat No. 4 so I was in the first flight today." In general, but not always, it is an advantage to be in an earlier flight because an angler will have the best shot at getting to a productive spot first and will get to fish it earliest, which is often when the best fishing is.

Flipping: The technique of placing a lure in a given spot precisely, and quietly, with as little disturbance of the water as possible using an underhand cast while controlling the line with your hand.

Flipping Stick: Heavy action fishing rod, 7 to 8 feet long, designed for bass fishing.

Florida Rig: Very similar to the Texas Rig, the only difference is the weight is secured by "screwing" it into the bait.

Fly 'N Rind: Same thing as jig-and-pig - a combination of a leadhead jig and pork rind trailer.

FLW: This stands for Forrest L. Wood, the founder of Ranger Boats and one of the people who made bass fishing what it is today. Wood was one of the first people to be elected to the Professional Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in Hot Springs, Ark. The FLW Tour, named after Wood, was started by Irwin Jacobs who bought and expanded Operation Bass (now named FLW Outdoors) and owns Ranger Boats.

Foot: The part of the reel that attaches the rod and reel

Forage Fish: all fish which breed prolifically and serve as food for predatory fish.

Front: Weather system that causes changes in temperature, cloud cover, precipitation, wind

-G-

Game fish: A fish that is regulated by law for recreational harvest.

Gape: To open the mouth wide. In Zoological terms, it means the measurement of the widest possible opening of a mouth.

Gear ratio: In reference to the amount of times that the spool of a reel rotates while the handle is rotated once.

Gills: The fleshy, and highly vascular organs comparable to lungs used in aquatic respiration.

Grayline: Grayline lets you distinguish between strong and weak echoes. It "paints" gray on targets that are stronger than a preset value. This allows you to tell the difference between a hard and soft bottom. For example, a soft, muddy or weedy bottom returns a weaker symbol which is shown with a narrow or no gray line. A hard bottom returns a strong signal which causes a wide gray line.

Grub: A short plastic worm used with a weighted jig hook.

Guides: The loops on a rod through which the line runs.

-H-

Habitat: The place in nature where a plant or animal species lives. The water, vegetation, and all that makes up the lake, which is where bass live. Habitat, for other creatures, is also in the woods and cities, it's basically a term used to indicate a "living area" or home environment.

Hard Bottom: Area in a body of water with a solid base - clay, gravel, rock, sand. The type of bottom that you would not sink far, if at all, were you to walk on it.

Hawg: Usually refers to a lunker-size or heavyweight bass weighing 4 pounds or more.

Healthy stock: A stock of fish experiencing production levels consistent with its available habitat and within the natural variations in survival for the stock.

Helicoptering: When cast, air-resistant baits such as spinnerbaits and crankbaits can catch air and spin ("helicopter"), causing casting distance to be compromised.

Holding Area: Structure that habitually holds three to five catchable bass.

Holding Station: Place on lake where inactive fish spend most of their time.

Honey Hole: A super fishing spot containing a number of big bass; also any place with a large concentration of keeper bass.

Hook: A single, double or treble pointed hook. A hook, single, double or treble pointed and attached to a manufactured artificial lure shall be counted as 1 hook

Horizontal Movement: The distance a fish moves while remaining at the same depth.

Horse: To "horse" a fish into the boat is to reel it in as quickly as possible. This is the technique tournament anglers use in most cases because it decreases the chance of the fish getting free, and maximizes the fish's chance of survival by not letting it tire. Horsing a fish also gets a fish out of cover quickly, which decreases the chances of it breaking off (the line breaking).

Hump: An area higher than the surrounding area. A submerged dam or island might be considered a hump.

Husbandry: The scientific management and control of the hatchery environment for the production of fish or wildlife.

-I-

Ichthyology: The branch of zoology that deals with fishes - their classification, structure, habits, and live history.

Inactive Fish: Bass that are in a non-feeding mood. Examples of typically inactive times: following a cold front; during a major weather change that causes a sudden rise or fall in water temperature, or when a rising lake lever is abruptly lowered.

Inside Bend: The inside line of a grass bed or a creek channel.

Isolated Structure: A possible holding spot for bass; examples include a single bush on a point; a midlake hump, or a large tree that has fallen into the water.

-J-

Jig: A leadhead poured around a hook and featuring a skirt of rubber, plastic, or hair.

Jig-N-Pig: Combination of a leadhead jig and pork rind trailer; among the most effective baits for attracting trophy-size bass.

Jigging: Using a rod and reel in such a way as to present artificial lures in short, jerking motions.

Jacobs, Irwin: Wealthy Minnesota financier who bought Operation Bass and launched the FLW Tour (the second national pro tour) in 1996. Also owner of Genmar, the world's largest boat company, which owns four bass boat brands: Ranger, Stratos, Champion and Javelin.

Jerkbait: Jerkbaits can be "hard" or "soft." Hard jerkbaits are minnow-shaped crankbaits that usually have three sets of treble hooks. A hard jerkbait is jerked with the rod one or more times, the lip causes it to dive and then it floats to the surface which mimics a dying baitfish. Soft jerkbaits are vaguely minnow-shaped soft-plastic lures. Their natural action mimics a slow-moving or dying baitfish extremely well.

Jump off: A fish "jumps off" when it jumps out of the water, shakes its head and frees itself of the hook. This most commonly happens with treble-hooked baits, which typically are the hardest and heaviest baits used by bass anglers.

Junk fishing: Slang term for fishing a variety of different cover and/or structure (whatever "looks fishy") during a tournament day with a variety of techniques and lures. A "junk fisherman" prefers to do this over fishing a constant pattern.

-K-

Keeper: Technically a "keeper" is any bass over the minimum size limit for that tournament or lake, but is most commonly used to refer to a fish that barely measures over the minimum length limit.

Kicker: A "kicker fish" is a larger bass that kicks a competitor's weight up significantly. For example, a pro might weigh-in four 2-pound "keepers" and one 6-pound "kicker."

-L-

Lake Modification Sources: Elements that change bodies of water, such as ice action, wave action, and erosion.

Lake Zones: Designation that includes four categories: shallow water, open water, deep water, and basin.

Laydown (or Falldown): A tree that has fallen into the water.

Launch: In a tournament context, a "launch" is: when all the boats are in the water; or when boats are "taking off" or "blasting off" or the area where the boats are waiting to take off; or it is another word for the boat ramp, the concrete ramp that descends into the water where boats are launched.

Light Intensity: The amount of light that can be measured at certain depths of water; the greater the intensity, the farther down the light will project. This measurement can be significantly affected by wind conditions and water clarity. In waters where light intensity is low, brightly colored lures are smart choices.

Limit: A "limit" refers to how many fish an angler is allowed to keep (alive) each day to weigh-in. Synonyms can sometimes include "bag" and "stringer," but both of those terms typically refer to weight (e.g., a 25-pound bag) that might not be a full limit.

Limnology: The study of lakes, ponds and streams.

Line capacity: The amount or length of monofilament, which can fit on to the spool of a reel.

Line guides: The objects in which the fishing line runs through while traveling on a fishing rod, usually ceramic or plastic.

Lip: To "lip" a bass is to grab it by its lower jaw using and lift it into the boat. Bass have small teeth (they typically just suck in and swallow their prey) so all this does is slightly chafe a person's thumb, which grasps the inside of its mouth. Also, heavy fish (5 pounds or better) should not be held out of the water by their lower jaw as it can damage the jaw. A "lip" also is common way to refer to a plastic or metal diving plane on a crankbait.

Lipless crankbait: Any crankbait without a "lip," or diving plane. These are diamond-shaped baits. Also generically called Rat-L-Traps, after the primary lure brand in that category.

Live bait: Living fish, eels or worms used to entice prey.

Livewell: An aerated tank in boats used to hold fish in water until weigh-in time so that they have a better chance of survival when released. Similar to an aquarium.

Logjam: A group of horizontal logs pushed together by wind or water flow to form an obstruction. In lakes, logjams are usually found close to shore and in the backs of coves.

Loose-Action Plug: A lure with wide and slow movements from side to side.

Low Spool Memory: Most conventional nylon lines are so stiff with tension that they habitually take on the rounded form of the reel spool. This is known as "spool memory" and is responsible for most backlashes and "bird nests" in overhead reels, and for the "slinky coiling" of spinning reels.

Lunker: Normally, a bass weighing 4 pounds or more.

Lure: (noun, short for "artificial lure") An artificial lure is a lure made from hard or soft plastic, wood, metal or other material. It is designed to replicate a food item of a bass, or to trigger a bass into a "reaction strike." All tournament bass fishing is done with lures, also called "artificials" or, most commonly, "baits."

-M-

Main-lake: Term used to distinguish the lake from its river or creek arms. Applies to reservoirs, or impoundments, which are dammed rivers. Example: "I fished main-lake points today."

Map study: The act of studying a topographical and/or aerial map of a water body before a tournament, typically far before arriving at the tournament site. In concert with their knowledge of seasonal patterns and fish movements, pro anglers can target good water and eliminate bad water before they even arrive at the tournament.

Micropterus Salmoides: Scientific term for largemouth bass.

Migration Route: The path followed by bass when moving from one area to another.

Milfoil: Surface-growing aquatic plants.

Milk Run: Used to describe an angler fishing a series of spots in a tournament day. The angler makes a "milk run" from one spot to another.

Minnow: A small fish used by fishermen to catch other fish. Another name for some Killifish.
Money, in the: "In the money" means an angler finished high enough in the final-day standings to win money, or "earn a check."

Mono: Slang used to refer to monofilament nylon fishing line.

Monofilament: A single strand of nylon.

Moon Times: Four phases of the moon are usually what the fisherman is concerned with. Generally the "best times" in a month occur three days prior and three days after, and include the day of the new or full moon. First quarter and second quarter periods are considered as only "good times."

-N-

Nautical mile: Its length is 1852 meters (6076.115 feet), approximately 1.15 times as long as the statute mile of 5280 feet.

Natural lake: Term used to distinguish a naturally formed lake from man-made reservoirs.

-O-

Off Color: Refers to the color and or clarity of the water. Brown is muddy like from rain runoff, greenish from algae and black from tannic acid are the normal off-color conditions.

Off-Limits: The time between pre-practice (of pre-fish) and the official practice when a lake is literally off-limits to all competitors. B.A.S.S. has an off-limits, but FLW doesn't.

Our Hole: Proprietary term used by anglers to describe the area they intend to fish. (My hole, their hole, etc.) Though actually all holes are all angler's holes since the lakes being fished are mostly public water. It's only your hole if you get there first. Otherwise it's their hole.

Outside Bend: The outside line of a creek channel or grass bed can be considered on outside bend.

Overs: Pro angler slang for bass over the minimum length limit for a lake or tournament. Example: "I only caught two overs today, but a lot of shorts."

Oxbow: A U-shaped bend in a river

-P-

Pattern: To pattern is to decipher where bass are likely to be and how to catch them in a given lake and under a current set of conditions. To "run a pattern" is to fish a pattern. A pattern is a method &emdash; including how, what, where of catching a bass. Several patterns can be used in one tournament day, or one pattern can work for a whole tournament. Patterns typically are easier to run in reservoirs.

Pegging: Putting a toothpick in the hole of a slip sinker to prevent the sinker from sliding along the line. Other items such as rubber bands slipped through the sinker have also become popular and don't snag line.

PFD: Initials that stand for Personal Floatation Device; also called a life vest.

pH: This is a measurement for liquids to determine whether they are acidic or alkaline. On a scale of one to ten, seven is considered neutral. Below seven the liquid is acidic and above seven it is alkaline. This is a factor that plays a role in the health of the lake and the fish as well as where the fish may be found in a lake.

pH Meter: Just as a thermometer measures heat and cold, a pH meter can be used to measure the acidity and alkalinity of water. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. Bass generally prefer water that is slightly alkaline in the 7.5 to 7.9 range. Water with a pH less than 7 is acidic. Once popular among serious bass fishermen, the device is no longer widely used.

Pick-Up: The act of a bass taking a slowly fished lure, such as a plastic worm, crawfish or lizard.

Pit: Area excavated for mining operations that fills with water.

Pitching: Presentation technique in which worms or jigs are dropped into cover at close range with an underhand pendulum motion, using a 6 ? to 71/2 foot baitcasting rod. The act of pitching a bait into a pocket or under tree limbs. Similar to flipping, but requires less stealth and usually done from further distances (known as pitchin').

Play: To "play" a fish is to use your equipment and skill to tire a fish before landing it. In tournament competition, this is only done in cases where a big fish is hooked with light tackle. Tournament anglers generally want to get bass in the boat as fast as possible, for two reasons: to decrease the chance of it getting free; and to maximize its chances of survival by not letting it tire.

Plug: A free swimming lure. One that travels from side to side and not just straight.

Pocket: A small indentation of the shoreline.

Point: A finger of land jutting into the water; deeper water is usually found just beyond the exposed tip and along the length of both sides. Fishing on and around points is often exceptionally rewarding. They almost always hold fish.

Poppers: Topwater lures that can call up fish from long distance. They can be worked in a steady relatively fast retrieve, or jerked and made to splash or sit in one place.

Post Front: The period following a cold front; atmosphere clears and becomes bright; usually characterized by strong winds and a significant drop in temperature.

Post-spawn: Post-spawn is when the bass have finished spawning and the eggs have hatched. The bigger female bass move out to deeper water, though not as deep as they will be in summer, and are hungry after the energy expended in spawning. The smaller males guard the fry (groups of baby bass) for a while, and can be caught because they attack anything that threatens the fry.

Power fishing: Fishing with "power" (as opposed to "finesse") techniques like pitching or flipping heavy jigs and fishing spinnerbaits quickly. "Power" generally means bigger lures fished quickly. These often provoke "reaction strikes" from bass, as opposed to a bass eating a lure because it's hungry. Anglers who prefer to fish with power techniques are called "power fishermen."

Practice: Term for official practice days on a tournament lake. In B.A.S.S. events these are the three days immediately prior to the start of competition. In FLW events, anglers cn practice for as long as they want right up to the competition start date because there is no off-limits.

Pre-fish: Term for practice days before the off-limits, and consequently before the official practice.

Presentation: Term for how a lure is "presented" to a bass (fast, slow, deep, shallow, quiet, noisy, etc.).

Pre-spawn: Pre-spawn is the time before the spawn when bass are getting ready to move into spawning locations, like protected coves and the backs of creeks where the water is shallower and warming first. This is in early spring, and bass typically "stage" near spawning areas (e.g., points outside of coves) waiting for a rise in water temperature and/or the right moon phase before moving into shallow water.

Pro: A person who fishes the boater side of one or both of the top tours. These anglers are professionals in that tour-level fishing is their career, and that is how they support themselves and their families (or, in the case of newcomers to the tours, aspire to).

Protect: An angler might sit on or near a spot all day or for multiple days to "protect" it from being fished by other competitors. Example: "I caught a limit and then protected that spot the rest of the day." The angler might only actually fish the spot for just a few hours or less each 8-hour day.

Pull off: A hooked fish "pulls off" when it gets free without jumping. Usually there is no particular movement (e.g., a headshake) associated with "pulling off."

-R-

Reel seat: The section of a rod that clamps down the reel so it is secure.

Resident species: Species of fish which spend their entire lives in freshwater.

Ramp: Short form of "launch ramp" or "boat ramp." A bass boat is launched by being backed down the ramp to the water. After a fishing day, a boat is "loaded onto" a trailer by backing the empty trailer down the ramp and driving the boat onto it.

Reaction Strike: Term for goading a bass to instinctively "lash out" at a lure. Bass are the dominant predators in their world, are territorial and use their mouths as a "weapon," and thus can be provoked into striking a lure. Because fish aren't hungry 100 percent of the time, many bass are caught by provoking a reaction strike, often with "power fishing" techniques.

Reservoir: A lake created by damming a reservoir. Also called an impoundment. Typically these man-made lakes are easier to pattern than natural lakes.

Revolving-Spool Reel: Another term for baitcasting reel. The spool turns during casting, unlike the spool of a spinning or spincasting reel.

Rip-Rap: A type of rock habitat that is constructed by man, rip-rap is typically grey-white in color, anywhere from 6 inches to a few feet in diameter, and is used to prevent erosion around structures such as railroad track crossings and seawalls.

Rock: Just as the Inuit (Eskimos) have many names for snow, the word "rock" doesn't mean much to an angler. In fishing there are many types of rock, each of which has its own properties and fish-holding capabilities during certain conditions or certain times of the year. Some names for types are self-explanatory (shale, pea gravel) while others aren't (rip-rap, chunk rock, bluff).

Rookie: BassFan defines a tour-level rookie as someone who has never previously fished a tour event as a boater (vs. a non-boater or co-angler). As it stands now (12/2004), the tours call anyone who has never fished their tour before a "rookie" regardless of whether that angler has fished or does fish the other tour.

Run-In: Areas in the rock walls of highland reservoirs that leak or pour water into the lake after a rain.

-S-

Saddle: Site where structure narrows before widening again.

Sanctuary: Deep-water bass habitat.

Sandbag: Tournament slang for just catching enough fish (weight) to make the cut -- also known as (sort of) "saving fish." For example, if an angler had 20 pounds on day 1 and figures that he only needs 22 pounds total to make the cut after day 2, he will catch only one or two fish on day 2 and save the rest of his fish for days 3 and/or 4.

Scatter Point: Position along structure where bass start to separate or scatter; often found in shallow water, at or very close to a breakline.

Scott, Ray: Founder of B.A.S.S. (1967) and regarded as the father of modern bass fishing. Scott sold B.A.S.S. in 1986 to a group of investors, who sold it to ESPN in April 2001.

Seawall: Any wall built to protect a land structure from water (does not have to be the ocean). These are frequently build of rip-rap, railroad ties, concrete or metal panels.

Seining: To fish with or catch fish or reptiles with a seine, which is a large net with sinkers on one edge and floats on the other that hangs vertically in the water and is used to enclose fish when its ends are pulled together

Short/Short fish: Pro angler slang term for bass that do not measure up to the minimum legal size (length). For example, if bass must be at least 14 inches to weigh-in at a tournament because of lake or state rules, "short fish" are any bass that are less than 14 inches long, but usually near 14 inches.

Short Strike: When a fish hits at a lure and misses it.

Sight-fishing: Fishing for bass that you can see, or (in the case of the noun) the bass you can see when sight-fishing. Typically these bass are shallow, near the bank, and spawning.

Single action: A reel where the handle is attached directly to the spool, without the aid of gears.

Skirt: A group of rubber or silicone fibers that extend from the head of a spinnerbait or jig over the hook. The skirt provides body and action to the bait. Silicone skirts usually look better, but rubber skirts generally perform better (more action).

Slack Line: The loose line from the tip of the rod to the lure. This can be a slight bow in the line to an excess of line lying on the water.

Slicks: Bass not long enough to meet tournament standards; typically less than 14 inches. Such fish also are called "nubbins ", "through backs", "pop corns", "babies" and "dinks".

Slip sinker: A lead weight with a hole through the center that slides freely up and down fishing line unless altered by a swivel or a split shot .

Slough: A long, narrow stretch of water such as a small stream or feeder tributary off a lake or river.

Slow Roll: Spinnerbait presentation in which the lure is retrieved slowly through and over cover objects.

Slush Bait: Topwater plug with flat or pointed head.

Soft-plastics: Term used to describe injection-molded or, less commonly, hand-poured (literally) rubber lures. These lures can resemble natural prey items -- such as worms, snakes, crayfish -- or nothing natural at all. They are effective at fooling fish because of their natural action, ability to be "impregnated" with fish-attracting scents and/or salt, and realistic soft texture.

Spawn: The spawn is the time of the year when bass reproduce in warmer, shallower, "protected" (mostly from wind) water, often in coves or the backs of feeder creeks. The males make "beds" on harder substrate to attract the larger females. After spawning, the males guard the nest and the baby bass, or "fry." Usually this is for a few weeks in the spring, though in warmer states with less seasonal change (e.g., Florida) the spawn can occur over several months. Not everyone fished for spawning bass, though biologists have found that if bass are immediately released when caught "off beds," no harm is done. Bass caught during the spawn usually strike lures to defend the bed.

Spincaster: A manner of fishing employing a push-button, closed-face spinning reel and baitcasting rod; reel is mounted on topside of rod.

Spinnerbait: A "bent-open" safety-pin-looking bait with one or (usually) two metal blades on top of an angle of wire, a line-tie in the middle and the "bait" part (a head and "skirt") with hook on the bottom. The blades provide vibration (thump) and flash, and the head and skirt provide a visual target. Spinnerbaits are often fished fast and shallow, usually with a trailer hook. A slang term for spinnerbaits is "blade." Spinning: A manner of fishing employing an open-face or closed-face spinning reel an spinning rod; reel is mounted on the underside of the rod; rod guides are on the underside of the rod.

Split Shotting: Often called stitch fishing because you move the bait in increments no larger than a sewing stitch and made just as slowly and patience is the key. Use a small #5 split-shot and crimp it about 18 inches above a light wire 1/0 or lighter small hook. Spinning tackle is a must. Small worms, 3-inch salt craws and others are perfect for the gentle application required.

Spook: The act of alarming a fish in a negative way. Examples: excessive noise, casting a human shadow.

Spool: The portion of the reel that holds the line.

Spot-fish: Slang verb meaning "to fish a spot" as opposed to a pattern. Not to be confused with spotting (seeing) fish or spotted bass. As tournament anglers have gotten better over the years, more tournaments are being won on a single spot or a few spots instead of patterns (which may be "camped on" by anglers all day to protect them), though patterning of bass is always involved.

Squealer: Slang for a small bass, which may or may not be over the minimum length limit.

Stage/Staging area: "Staging areas" are places where bass are temporarily residing (the bass "stage" or are "staging") before moving on to another location. Usually this term is only used in reference to pre-spawn bass which "stage" near spawning areas, waiting for the right conditions for moving up to spawn.

Standing Line: Refers to the line that is attached to the reel spool and runs through the rod guides to your terminal end of the line.

Stick-Up: Stationary structure - stump, limb, section of pipe, fence post - that extends about 5 feet or less above the surface; a favorite casting target of bass fishermen.

Stragglers: Bass that remain near shore following a general migration.

Stringer/String: A "stringer" is a device used for "stringing up" fish that an angler intends to keep. Originally, these were "strings" (pieces of rope) that were inserted through a fish's gill and then out through its mouth so fish could be kept alive in the water while prevented from escaping. Eventually these devices became fancier, but essentially the same, with metal or plastic clips. While still used by "meat fishermen," stringers are no longer employed by tournament anglers.

Structure: Along with "cover," "structure" is one of two major terms use to define bass habitat. "Structure" refers to submerged (underwater) topographical features that bass relate to. These include humps, points, creek channels, rockpiles and even man-made items like seawalls, docks, roadbeds and old house foundations.

Stock: A specific population of fish spawning in a particular stream during a particular season.

Subyearling: A developmental life stage of fish that are less than one year old.

Suspended: When bass are suspended, they are relating to (are above) deeper water, but are somewhere in the middle or closer to the top of the water. They may or may not be relating to structure. For example, if there's 40 feet of water over a main-lake hump, suspended bass will be in 20 feet or less of water -- and in that case are relating to the hump. Bass most often suspend during the transition period between summer and fall. Suspended bass usually are tough to catch, particularly if they are not relating to structure.

Sustainable yield - The number or weight of fish in a stock that can be taken by fishing without reducing the stock from year to year, assuming that environmental conditions remain the same.

Swimming lure: Sinking-type artificial baits designed to resemble a swimming baitfish. Such plugs vibrate and/or wobble during retrieve; some have built-in rattles.

Swivel: A device used to attach two lines, a line to a lure, or a device to prevent the twisting of the monofilament itself.

-T-

Tac: Total allowable catch is the total regulated catch from a stock in a given time period, usually a year.

Tackle: The gear used by an angler or a commercial fisher to catch fish.

Tail-Spinners: Compact, lead-bodied lures with one or two spinner blades attached to the tail, and a treble hook suspended from the body; designed to resemble a wounded shad; effective on schooling bass.

Taper: An area in a body of water that slopes toward deeper depths.

Terminal Tackle: Refers to the tackle used at the end of the standing line. Swivel, leader line, wire, hooks, etc.

Texas Rig: The method of securing a hook to a soft-plastic bait - worm, lizard, crawfish, so that the hook is weedless. A slip sinker is threaded onto the line and then a hook is tied to the end of the line. The hook is then inserted into the head of a worm for about one-quarter of an inch and brought through until only the eye is still embedded in the worm. The hook is then rotated and the point is embedded slightly into the worm without coming out the opposite side.

Thermocline: The layer of water where the temperature changes at least one-half a degree per foot of depth. Basically, a layer of water where rising warm and sinking cold water meet.

Tight-Action Plug: A lure with short, rapid side-to-side movement.

Tiptop: Line guide at top of fishing rod.

Topwaters: Floating hard baits that create some degree of surface disturbance during retrieve.

Trailer hook: An extra hook added to the back section of a lure used to assure more hook ups

Transition: The imaginary line where one type of bottom material changes to another.

Trapping: Tocatch or take by use of a device, such as a cage or net, designed to capture a fish or animal.

Treble Hook: Hook with single or bundled shaft and three points.

Triggering: Employment of any lure-retrieval technique or other fishing strategy that causes a bass to strike.

Trolling: Fishing while dragging artificial lures, live or dead baits behind a boat while in motion to entice game fish to strike.

Trolling Motor: A small electric fishing motor, typically mounted on the bow, that is used as secondary boat propulsion, for boat positioning, and to maneuver quietly in fishing areas.

Trolling rod: A specialty rod used to drag small or large lures behind a boat while in motion. Most often with all roller guides.

Take-off: The area where all boats start the day.

Throw the hook: Slang for a fish freeing itself by any means other than breaking the line. A fish can throw the hook by "pulling off," "jumping off" or by other methods.

Tow vehicle: Literally the vehicle with which an angler tows a boat. Usually a pickup truck or SUV with a paint color that matches the boat.

Trailer Hook: An extra hook attached to the main hook of a spinnerbait. This extends the hooking reach of the bait, which helps catch bass that just nip at the back of the bait.

Trebles/Treble hook: Groups of three hooks, almost exclusively used on "hard baits" (baits made of molded hard plastic). It is generally more difficult to hook and land bass caught on treble hooks. The reason for this is the hooks are smaller and do not penetrate as well as a bigger single hook, and because the fish can use the weight of the stiffer, heavier hard-plastic lure to "throw the hook" (unhook itself) when it jumps out of the water and shakes its head.

Turnover: The period when the cold water on the surface of a body of water descends and is replaced by warmer water from below.

-V-

Vermiculations: Irregular lines or impressions like worm tracks.

Vertical Movement: Up and down movement of fish. Can also be movement of a lure such as a spoon.

Virtual Invisibility: Occurs when line disappears once placed underwater. This is called the "mirror effect." Because the surface of the line is highly polished, it acts as a mirror, reflecting its surroundings and blending in.

Vomer: The most anterior bone of the roof of the mouth; may bear teeth.

-W-

Wacky rig: Popular term for hooking a plastic worm or similar bait through the middle, as if it's a live worm. In this way the hook is perpendicular to the worm so that when the worm is pulled, the ends of the worm flap or pulsate.

Warmwater fish: A broad classification on non-salmonid fish that generally have at least one spiny ray, have pelvic and pectoral fins located behind the gills, and are usually suited for water that consistently exceeds 70 degrees F.

Weeds: Aquatic vegetation are not literally "weeds," in the sense of annoying plants. In fact, aquatic vegetation is necessary to sustain aquatic life and provides some of the best bass habitat because it provides food (prey items), shelter for young bass and ambush points for bass, which are predominantly ambush predators. Term probably derives from "seaweed."

Weedless - A description of a lure designed to be fished in heavy cover with a minimum amount of snagging.

Weedline: Abrupt edge of a weedbed caused by a change in depth, bottom type, or other factor.

Weir: Usually a barrier constructed to catch upstream migrating adult fish.

Wild populations: Fish that have maintained successful natural reproduction with little or no supplementation from hatcheries.

Wild stock: A stock that is sustained by natural spawning and rearing in the natural habitat, regardless of parentage.

Wormin’: The act of fishing with a plastic worm, lizard, crawfish, or similar bait.

-Y-

Yearling: A one year old fish.

Yield-per-recruit: The expected lifetime yield-per-fish of a specific age (e.g., per age 2 individual). For a given exploitation pattern, rate of growth, and natural mortality, an expected equilibrium value of Y/R can be calculated for each level of F.

-Z-

Zooplankton: Small aquatic animals that are suspended or swimming in water.

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